Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Walker's Warning
While Chicago is a great city to explore on foot, Lake Shore Drive is no
place for pedestrians. People have been seriously injured and even killed
attempting to dodge the traffic on this busy road. Near Grant Park, cross
only in crosswalks at Jackson Boulevard or Randolph, East Monroe, or East
Balbo drives, or by using the underpass on the Museum Campus. North of
the river, utilize underpasses or bridges at East Ohio Street, Chicago
Avenue, Oak Street, and North Avenue.
Tips
You might be tempted to skip the “peoples of the world” exhibits, but, trust
me—some are not only mind-opening, but they're also great fun. Traveling the
Pacific is hidden up on the second floor, but it's definitely worth a stop. Hun-
dreds of artifacts from the museum's oceanic collection re-create scenes of island
life in the South Pacific (there's even a full-scale model of a Maori meeting
house). Africa , an assemblage of African artifacts and provocative, interactive
multimedia presentations, takes viewers to Senegal, to a Cameroon palace, to the
savanna and its wildlife, and on a “virtual” journey aboard a slave ship to the
Americas. Native Chicagoans will quickly name two more signature highlights:
the taxidermies of Bushman (a legendary lowland gorilla who made interna-
tional headlines while at the city's Lincoln Park Zoo) and the Man-Eating Lions
of Tsavo (the pair of male lions who munched nearly 140 British railway work-
ers constructing a bridge in East Africa in 1898; their story is featured in the film
The Ghost and the Darkness ).
The museum hosts special traveling exhibits (recent blockbusters included
shows on Cleopatra and the jewels of Russia), as well as numerous lectures, book
signings, multi-ethnic musical and dance performances, storytelling events, and
family activity days throughout the year. The Corner Bakery cafe, located just
off the main hall, is a cut above the usual museum victuals (to avoid the
lunchtime lines, pick up one of the premade salads or sandwiches and head for
the cash register). Families also flock to the McDonald's on the lower level.
Allow 3 hours.
Roosevelt Rd. and Lake Shore Dr. & 312/922-9410 or 312/341-9299 TDD (for hearing-impaired callers).
www.fieldmuseum.org. Admission $10 adults, $7 seniors and students with ID, $5 children 3-11, free for
teachers, armed-forces personnel in uniform, and children 2 and under. Free admission Mon-Tues mid-Sept
to Feb (except the last 2 weeks of Dec). Daily 9am-5pm; Thurs to 8pm mid-Aug. Closed Dec 25 and Jan 1.
Bus: 6, 10, 12, 130, or 146.
John G. Shedd Aquarium The Shedd is a city treasure and well
deserving of its title as world's largest indoor aquarium. A mix of standard aquar-
ium tanks and elaborate new habitats, this marble octagon building is filled with
thousands of denizens of river, lake, and sea. The only problem with the Shedd
is its steep admission price. You can keep your costs down by buying the “Aquar-
ium Only” admission, but then you'll be missing some of the most stunning
exhibits.
The first thing you'll see as you enter is the Caribbean Coral Reef . This
90,000-gallon circular tank occupies the Beaux Arts-style central rotunda,
entertaining spectators who press up against the glass to ogle divers feeding
nurse sharks, barracudas, stingrays, and a hawksbill sea turtle. New technology
includes an enhanced sound system and a roving camera connected to video
monitors mounted on the tank's periphery, which gives visitors close-ups of the
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